Golden Balls, Human Behavior, and Cognitive Flexibility: Dr Matthew Nagler on PYP 628

In this episode, Matthew Nagler and I discuss a bunch of things, after intending to focus on cognitive flexibility.


That's pretty meta...


We meander through various behavioral science "greatest hits," including the endowment effect, loss aversion, and altruism.


We explore how these phenomena affect human behavior and social dynamics, specifically by looking at a "prisoners' dilemma" type game show, and how one person's "Golden Ball" strategy shocked a nation.


Then we roll up our metaphorical sleeves and get serious about cognitive flexibility.


We explore the role it plays in personal identity, career changes, and societal issues like gender fluidity.


We also tackle thorny ethical questions of how to balance personal and societal concerns, and how to enhance human welfare for all in a world where my ability to change can seem like a direct threat to you.


00:00 Introduction and Welcome


01:04 Exploring the Endowment Effect


04:15 Loss Aversion and Decision Making


18:49 Cognitive Flexibility and Personal Growth


38:58 Entering the Business World


39:36 Challenges in the Private Sector


41:18 Reflections on Meaningful Work


43:28 The Value of Teaching


49:14 Cognitive Flexibility and Social Impact


53:52 Balancing Personal and Social Responsibilities


01:00:17 Game Shows and Human Nature
Links


Zen and Economics (https://matthewgnagler.substack.com/) — a Substack by Matthew Nagler 


Golden Balls - split or steal on YouTube (   • golden balls. the weirdest split or steal ...  )


The Will of the Many, by James Islington (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-will...)


Catalog of Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld series (https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keyw...)


Affari Toui (https://www.ilmessaggero.it/en/stefan...) - Italian version of Deal or No Deal


Moral Ambition (https://bookshop.org/p/books/moral-am...) , by Rutger Bregman